Chocolate

ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR CAKE

by:
November 16, 2009
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves a cake
Author Notes

Every family has it's "urban myths". This cake is one of mine. Apparently one of my family members (about 80 years ago) had dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in NY. Dessert was a wonderful chocolate cake. My great aunt asked for the recipe and it was sent to her with a bill for $100.00. I have checked her recipe with Waldorf Astoria chocolate cake recipes and have concluded that either they have since changed their recipe or she tweaked the recipe herself...she was a chocolholic! —dymnyno

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups walnuts
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
Directions
  1. Cream butter and sugar.
  2. Add beaten eggs
  3. Add melted chocolate
  4. Add all ingrediants alternately with milk.
  5. Fold in coarsely chopped nuts. After all ingredients are added and mixed , pour into two cake pans.
  6. Bake for 45 min or until a toothpick comes clean. Bake at 350 degrees.
  7. Chocolate frosting: 2/3 cup melted butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 4 tbs. powdered chocolate, 4 tbs black coffee. Cook over low heat and cool and then frost.
  8. .When cakes are cool frost the cake. Put a lot on the first layer, add the second and then frost the second layer , letting the frosting drip over the sides.
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • dymnyno
    dymnyno
  • Maria Teresa Jorge
    Maria Teresa Jorge
  • MICHMOUSE
    MICHMOUSE
  • buttaluva
    buttaluva

6 Reviews

MICHMOUSE October 13, 2012
Its funny how there are so many versions of this cake recipe and the claims that it came from ones family relative. The $ 100 cake recipe has been passed down in my family from my great great grandmother her paper the recipe is written on is dated 1897, and has written on it she received it from her great aunt.
 
dymnyno January 25, 2010
Well...I did call it an urban myth. This is not a red velvet cake, however. I have heard this particular (my) story since I was a child ...and that was a long, long time ago!
 
buttaluva January 25, 2010
this looks tasty...hate to ruin your family myth but recently read this article when looking for red velvet recipe and it debunks this story, which many family's apparently have claimed to be theirs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/dining/14velv.html?scp=5&sq=red+velvet+cake&st=nyt
 
Maria T. November 20, 2009
I think it's amazing that your great aunt actually got the recipe from the Waldorf. I have to try it, and I will let you know how it came out.
 
dymnyno November 21, 2009
Remember that this is a "family" story...it happened about 75 years ago...$100.00 was an exorbitant amount of money!
 
Sunny Z. June 21, 2024
This in not a myth. My mother, now 91, purchased this recipe for $1 many, many years ago, from her elderly friend who actually got the bill after being at the Waldorf A. Her friend sold the recipe to each of her friends for $1. I have it in writing.